COVID-19 Prison Population Health Hazards Investigations

Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is currently investigating prisons across the United States for failure to adequately protect the well-being of detained individuals, prison staff, visitors, and the communities in which prisons operate, amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Detained individuals across the country are alleging that prison administrators are acting with deliberate indifference to serious medical needs by failing to mitigate the health risks inherent to their conditions and supply adequate treatment to afflicted inmates.

For example, attorneys for a Pennsylvania inmate with symptoms of the novel coronavirus, who has struggled to receive adequate medical care, have called the treatment of their client “unconscionable.” Officials attribute the widespread danger amongst prison populations in part to short staffing and a shortage of proper protective equipment.

Similarly, the American Civil Liberties Union of D.C. and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of more than 1,600 detainees in Washington D.C. jails. The lawsuit alleges that the D.C. Department of Correction (DOC) has failed to adequately screen or test inmates for the novel coronavirus and prevent further spread of the virus. This failure amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment,” a violation of the Eighth Amendment, per the lawsuit. They also claim that pre-trial detainees are held in conditions that violation their Fifth Amendment right to a trial by a jury.

Have you or a loved one been impacted by U.S. jails and prisons’ failure to protect inmate health amidst the COVID-19 pandemic?

If so, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at info@classlawdc.com, or give us a call at (202) 470-3520.

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The lawyers at Migliaccio & Rathod LLP have years of experience in class action litigation against large corporations, including in cases involving civil rights. More information about our current cases and investigations is available on our blog.